Mgr, Process Improvement -Black Belt

Smurfit Westrock; West Point (VA); On-site; USD 112,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement savings plans

Paid time off

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock is seeking a Mill CI Lead to manage the Continuous Improvement program, mentor projects, and drive CTO planning across the site. You will work with Mill Teams and drive cross-departmental improvements to boost productivity and efficiency.

This high-impact role requires Lean Six Sigma expertise, strong collaboration skills, and the ability to influence at all levels from shop floor to executive leadership. Travel up to 15% may be required.

Qualifications

• 4 - 8 years of relevant industry experience with progressive growth in mill operations.
• Smurfit Westrock certification with intent to complete BB training and certification within 2 years
• Strong financial acumen with ability to create financial models used to support project selection and determine net project value
• Ability to coach, teach, and mentor technical and non-technical knowledge to hourly and salaried employees to drive business results
• Travel expectations up to 15%, as needed in support of Mill Operations' needs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the CTO (Cost Take Out) process and strategy across the mill, building project pipelines and tracking progress.
• Coach GB and YB candidates through project completion and certification.
• Roll out the DMS program by identifying high-impact deliverables and tools with operations.
• Maintain mill PAS documentation and coordinate with accounting for timely financial information.
• Collaborate with mill leadership to align CTO initiatives with budget and forecast.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma

DMS

RCFA

Financial modeling

Cross-functional leadership

Project management

Mentoring

Data analysis

Education

BS/BA; Technical Degree Preferred

Tools

QuantumXL

PI Vision/AF

Microsoft Office

SmartSheet

Job description

Description & Requirements

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.

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Career Opportunity

Manage the mill Continuous Improvement (CI) program, including mentorship of numerous projects, leadership of site initiatives and data analysis, and leadership of cross-departmental or higher-complexity projects. Must work effectively with Mill Teams and employees across all levels of the facility and become the key productivity resource to the Mill General Manager. Utilize all CI systems, tools, and processes, especially Lean Six-Sigma, to drive improvement of mill operations performance. Key to the role is leading the construction of the annual Cost Take Out (CTO) plan, building out the project and savings details, supporting and coaching the project leaders, coordinating mill initiatives, and continuously tracking progress towards our annual mill CTO goal. Must work extensively and collaboratively with the mill finance leader to translate sustainable process improvements into our mill CTO plan and forecast. The mill CI Lead will coach and support part-time Black Belts, Green Belts, Yellow Belts, and all mill productivity improvement teams. The Mill CI Lead will be the PAS (Project Authorization System) owner for the mill as well as serve as the Mill Daily Management System (DMS) coordinator.

This is a high impact and high visibility position. Leading the mill CTO process will involve you in all areas of the mill and potentially all the employees. Common sense and your ability to influence others at all levels will be critical to generate positive results.

How You Impact Smurfit Westrock

• Work with the Operational Excellence team as well as the mill leadership team to align priorities, business needs, and improvement project opportunities.
• Coach, mentor, and train GB and YB candidates through project completion and certification.
• Ensure mill has line of sight to achieving their CTO by crafting and executing their CTO strategy, including developing project pipelines, training/coaching project leaders, and overseeing timely project execution.
• Facilitate rollout of DMS program, by working with mill operations team to identify and implement highest-impact deliverables and tools.
• Maintain project documentation within the mill PAS system, and work closely with accounting to ensure timely and accurate financial information.
• Assist site with operational improvement, through leadership of complex or cross-departmental projects, other site initiatives, and process data analysis.

What You Need To Succeed

• BS/BA; Technical Degree Preferred
• 4 - 8 years of relevant industry experience with progressive growth in mill operations
• Smurfit Westrock GB certification with the intent to complete BB training and certification within 2 years
• Passion and drive to improve systems and processes
• Intermediate knowledge of Continuous Improvement Tools, including Lean Six Sigma, DMS, and Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA)
• Demonstrated ability to execute projects in a fast-paced and dynamic environment using a team-based, data-based problem-solving approach
• Demonstrated ability to coach, teach, and mentor technical and non-technical knowledge to hourly and salaried employees to drive business results
• Strong financial acumen with ability to create financial models used to support project selection and determine net project value to the P&L
• Proficient with QuantumXL, PI Vision/AF, Microsoft Office, and SmartSheet
• Exceptional interpersonal and presentation skills from the shop floor to executive level
• Ability to positively influence and persuade others
• Travel expectations up to 15%, as needed in support of Mill Operations' needs.

Preferred

• Subject matter expert within the paper making industry, including any area of paper mill operations
• Expertise in change management and organizational redesign
• MBA
• 2+ years as lean six sigma black belt with a documented project portfolio
• Smurfit Westrock or ASQ BB Certification

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.

The salary range for this position is $112,125.00 - $186,875.00, depending on your role, level, and location. The range listed is also the expected pay for roles in Illinois and Colorado. The benefits for this role include short-term bonus incentive, health, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and paid sick leave as required by applicable state/local law, 15 days of paid vacation, and 11 days of paid holidays, subject to annual change. Your pay will be based on factors such as your skills, experience, and education.